Turtle Season

[CTReptileRescue]

Hello members,
I just wanted to say really quickly that turtle "season" is coming upon us soon. (ecspecially here in New England).
If you happen to find a turlte in the road please help it safely accross to the side it is aiming for. If you bring it back to the side it came from, it will just cross again.
Please do not bring baby turtles home with you. Even if you find them far away from waterways, some species treck very far to nest. You will not be helping it by removing it from the wild. It is better off where it is, as long as it is safely away from the street.
Also if you find a "vendor" of baby turtles under four inches in diameter, it is illegal to buy or sell said turtle or tortoise per USDA regulations. Please understand this law is in place for the well being of said turtles. many people don't know that the cute little quarter sized turtle they just brought home and put in a fish bowl will most likely get larger then a pie plate. Sadly many don't make it that long.
I just thought I would share as I just got off the phone with the fourth person asking us to take in a turtle in two days!
Thanks again
Rusty

I will get larger then a pie plate and have specific needs to be met so I can live a long happy life:

[Ironhead]

Rusty. What is the real name of the turtle? Around here they are called either painted turtle, or stink (musk) turtle.

I allways stop and set the box turtles accross the street when I see them. My father had told me many many moons ago, if I stopped to get them off the road, to allways put them accross the road in the direction they were going, because they would attempt to cross again if I didnt. The Idiots we have around here like to use them as speed bumps. Irritates the Heck out of me when they do that.

[Ironhead]

Also I had read that the Box turtles crossing the street are most likely juvinials looking for a territory to call thier own. That the older ones are established and wont normally wonder out of a boundery that they have set up as thier home.

[CTReptileRescue]

Very true on the boxies,
The turtle pictured is called a red eared slider. there is a variety of sliders, but the red eared are the ones you see the most often for sale by questionable "vendors".
there is painted and musk turtles, a few sub species of those said turtles also.
Thanks'
Rusty

[Jeanne]

Thanks for putting up that info, I got to thinking about it, should be turtle season around here soon too. Although, here it is illegal to possess any kind of slider cause they are indiginous or something to that effect.... but I bet I see a few cause of my kids going to the creek alot.

[Marla]

I saved a turtle here last spring trying to cross a 5-lane road, but was sadly unable to save another whose shell was crushed by a dog. It made me very sad, but there was nothing I could do for it.

[BallKingdom]

We have a major riving going through our town, it's awsome cause I find turtle eggs and baby turtles all the time. I promiss I won't keep one, though it was my itention to incubate eggs this season. But I'll play around with them.

Baby turtles are so cute.

[CTReptileRescue]

Ok, this is why I absolutely am against wild catching animals....
The following picture is of a native painted turtle. Family WC this hatlching LAST YEAR (yes the following animal is a year old), then procedeeded to keep it in a "pen pal" container (sm. plastic square with colorful tops), no lighting (turtles need UV and a basking area) gave it a centimeter of H20 (non filtered) three rocks from their backyard, and fish flake food. FOR A YEAR!!!! And it is still alive. they did no research, just thought it would be a "cute pet" for their 12 year old.
Now the problem that I am faceing is the following:
If you WC a turtle said turtle ends up with bacteria A after aopprox 3 months in captivity you should not release it due to the fact that it will not be able to survive bacteria B that it's native pond and landscape carries, Plus it will be bringing in bacteria A to said area if released which the native ecosystem cannot deal with.
Sorry to vent, Turtle season is starting early for us, and we get more calls lately on them then iguanas. (plus I just had a really bad day so I am pissy anyway..hehe)

This turtle has extreme calcium and vitamin deficiancies, on top of probable parasitic infection, on top of severe shell rot. I can't even believe it lived this long. Sad thing about herps is it takes a long time (ussually) to kill them with bad husbandry due to their slow metabalisms. It takes longer to bring them back.
Thanks for letting me vent
Rusty
Edit: I meant to point out that, that is the size of a hatchling painted turtle

[BallKingdom]

Dang, now thats flat out awful husbandry.

[Marla]

Very sad, Rusty. I hope you can rehabilitate it.